Deanne Beck - Featured Member

Born and raised in Orange County, California I grew up going to the beach. Every summer I spent countless days in Huntington Beach body surfing, boogie boarding, ocean swimming, and baking in the sun. But it wasn’t until I visited Hawaii when I was 18 that I knew I wanted to learn to scuba dive. While snorkeling in Hawaii I was coming out of the water and saw two scuba divers exiting the water. I distinctly remember thinking, “that’s what I want to do”.

But life kinda got in the way, fast forward 26 years, and while on vacation in Key West Florida I completed my open water certification. I was so excited that I had learned to scuba dive, I told my instructor that I was going home to California and scuba dive off the California coast. He laughed long and hard, “No one dives in the that cold water!” Well, that was the wrong thing to say, because I was determined that I was going to dive in California. When I returned home I bought some scuba gear, became acquainted with the local dive community, and started diving on a regular basis. My enthusiasm grew and I spent the next two years acquiring my advanced open water certification, rescue certification and Nitrox certification. Those first two years diving without a camera really helped me become a competent diver and good dive buddy.

Confident in my diving skills, I knew I wanted to share with others the experiences I was having underwater. So I picked up a small point and shoot camera and began taking pictures. I was having some minimal success, but I couldn’t figure out why my photos were so green? That’s when I knew I had to learn more. Luckily I found OCUPS and through their support my photography has greatly improved. I currently shoot with a Canon 70D and Sea and Sea YSD1 strobes. My favorite lens is the Tokina 10-17 mm as I like wide angle photography best. Although I’ve been to a number of warm water destinations, cold water is my favorite kind of diving for underwater photography. I am grateful to the many skilled photographers who have mentored me and have openly shared their knowledge of underwater photography. Hopefully, my knowledge and skill will continue to grow and I can share my experiences with others who enjoy the underwater world.